The "boss from hell"?

Last night we watched The Devil Wears Prada, with Meryl Streep. While most bosses aren't that extreme in the Workamping world, there are certainly bosses who are difficult to work with. They can be verbally abusive and take advantage of you. We had one such boss our second summer on the road at a houseboat company in Minnesota. Here are some ways to first avoid and then to handle this situation should you find yourself with the "boss from hell."

Before taking the job:

• When interviewing, be alert to any signs or gut feelings that this is not someone you'd want to work for. For example, during our interview, the owner asked a couple of times if we'd work on salary. Bill told him no and he still hired us, but that became the bone of contention.
• Be firm and also insist on a written agreement. This boss ended up wanting Bill to work overtime until Bill insisted on being paid for it, as our agreement stated. Then he pushed to have us go on salary — again.

On the job

• If your boss is asking for more hours than you agreed upon or for you to work on your days off, tell him/her you've made other plans. We left on our days off.
• If your boss uses profanity or abusive language to you, call him/her on it if no one else is present. Or, if the situation is emotionally charged or this is done in your presence but not to you, wait until later when it is calmer and you are alone. Let your boss know that this is unacceptable. I recommend doing it in a non-confrontational way. You can quietly but firmly get your point across.
• Knowing our houses are on wheels gives Workampers a sense of personal power. Unless you have to stay at a horrible job because of financial reasons, knowing you can and will leave if the situation continues is empowering and the boss will feel your strength.
• Remember, most people who use bullying and abusive tactics operate that way because they have learned it gets them what they want. If you stand firm and educate them, they will often treat you differently. To ignore this type of behavior in hopes things will get better only encourages a bully to push harder.

In our ten years of working on the RV road for others, we worked for some wonderful people. We only encountered the one boss of this type. Even when a job situation was not ideal for one reason or another, we knew it wouldn't last forever. And, it was helping us reach our financial and travel goals.

In this particular situation, when we wouldn't cave, this boss and his wife made things miserable. They also were not sticking to our signed, written agreement. After a month, we told them to "take this job and shove it" and were out of there in an hour. Such freedom!

For information on Jaimie Hall's recently revised book, Support Your RV LIfestyle! An Insider's Guide to Working on the Road, 2nd ed., see RVBookstore.com.

How to get started - step three

Step 3 - Prepare your résumé: Prepare a one page résumé, focusing on the skills that a seasonal employer would need. Even without Workamping experience, you have undoubtedly worked with people, dealt with customers, handled money or done maintenance. Include any work experience that applies as well as community work and hobbies. For example, if you have maintained your home, you have used a number of maintenance skills you would need in an RV park.

If you have never worked on the road before, I suggest using a functional résumé. This résumé emphasizes skills over work experience. You can see an example in my book or here. Subscribers to Workamper News can also post their résumé in the Awesome Applicants database, searchable by employers.

For information on Jaimie Hall's recently revised book, Support Your RV LIfestyle! An Insider's Guide to Working on the Road, 2nd ed., see RVBookstore.com.

How to get started - step two

Step 2 - Set goals: What do you want to get out of traveling and working on the RV road? Some people want to earn a certain amount of money, either for living expenses or a special trip or purchase. Others want to try something new, like work at Disney World. Still others want to be in a certain part of the country to be near relatives or to explore the area.

Setting goals will help you focus on what sort of job to look for and where it will be located. For example, Bob and Tricia are in their 50s and do not have a retirement. They need to look for jobs that pay for all hours worked. Tom and Laura want to keep their costs down and like to thoroughly explore an area. They may volunteer or exchange a few hours of work a week for their RV site so they have plenty of time to enjoy the area they choose. Knowing your goals helps you focus on jobs that are a match and not waste your time or the employer's applying for jobs that don't meet your criteria.

Our main goal in 1994 was to make good money, which we did by working as seasonal employees for the National Park Service. Our other goal was to explore parts of Colorado within driving distance from Rocky Mountain National Park. This photo, taken by my late husband, Bill, is of the Moffat Tunnel. We explored the area around each end of this famous railroad tunnel through the Rockies on two separate overnight trips. Jaimie

For information on Jaimie Hall's recently revised book, Support Your RV LIfestyle! An Insider's Guide to Working on the Road, 2nd ed., see RVBookstore.com

How to get started- step one

How do you get started working on the RV road?

Step 1 - Get information: I recommend a subscription to Workamper News. This publication comes out every two months and has advertisements for hundreds of jobs each issue, plus informative articles. Purchase one or more books on the subject. RVBookstore.com carries several. Participate in forums on working on the road. RVTravel has one as does Workamper.com, Escapees.com, and RV.net.

You can do a lot to prepare yourself before starting off on your adventure. Jaimie

For information on Jaimie Hall's recently revised book, Support Your RV LIfestyle! An Insider's Guide to Working on the Road, 2nd ed., see RVBookstore.com

Help for the food budget

A regular at the Workamper forums, posted this tip. Angel Ministries, which operates in 32 states, offers a generous food package each month for $25. There are no income requirements to sign up. If you order the regular package you can also order specialty packages. Usually a local church or community organization is the one handling the program. Angel Ministries sees this program as a way to help people and to spread the word so a salvation tract is included in each order. See Angel Ministries on the Web for more about their program and where you can order. Hey, every little bit helps and I'm told the food is good quality! Jaimie

For information on Jaimie Hall's recently revised book, Support Your RV LIfestyle! An Insider's Guide to Working on the Road, 2nd ed., see RVBookstore.com

Quick tip

If you are targeting a particular geographic area this season, look for ads from that area. Many newspapers are online so you can check local papers. Workamper News has ads listed in zip code order. Also check tourist planners and lists of chamber of commerce members in that area for potential employers. Jaimie

For information on Jaimie Hall's recently revised book, Support Your RV LIfestyle! An Insider's Guide to Working on the Road, 2nd ed., see RVBookstore.com

Bad hair day? Call Hair on Wheels!

Beauty salons have gone mobile. The Beauty Bus and Hair on Wheels operate out of Richmond, VA, while another (unrelated) Hair on Wheels has been serving clients in Denver for a number of years.

These businesses serve one area, but with some modifications, this is a possible business for the road. Two hurdles would need to be surmounted:

The main drawback is state licensing, but you could get reciprocal licenses in several states.

The other necessity would be either modifications to your RV or portable equipment. The two Richmond businesses modified their RV to include the salon, while the Denver service requires a room to set up in rather than provide services in the RV.

With permission from the owner, you could set up business at RV parks as you travel. Or, you could travel to outlying areas and set up shop — perhaps on a regular circuit in states where you are licensed.

Think outside the box! Do you have a service you could offer as you travel? Jaimie

For information on Jaimie Hall's recently revised book, Support Your RV LIfestyle! An Insider's Guide to Working on the Road, 2nd ed., see RVBookstore.com.

Budgeting

Before you start working on the RV road, estimate your RV budget. This allows you to determine what money you need to earn while Workamping — if any. Knowing how much you need or want to make per year allows you to focus on jobs that are appropriate.

For example, if you and your spouse need/want to earn $15,000 a year between you, you would need to work about half the year, each earning $7.50 an hour with a 40 hour week. If you apply to a job that requires 10 hours of work to pay for your RV site and receive monetary pay for the remaining hours, you are not going to meet your goal in six months.

Working on the RV road can help your budget by saving money on expenditures. But don’t waste your time or the employer's applying to jobs that don’t meet your income requirements.

For information on Jaimie Hall's recently revised book, Support Your RV LIfestyle! An Insider's Guide to Working on the Road, 2nd ed., see RVBookstore.com. Both a simple budget and a more detailed one are included.

Job fairs - one soon in Branson, Missouri

Job fairs are a great way to meet with more than one employer to find out more about opportunities or to even complete a job interview. Cities often have job fairs and, while they are are not geared to RVers, some job fairs might include temporary agencies or employers who are willing to hire workers on a temporary basis.

Check Workamper.com in the spring and fall for job fairs and interview sessions. Look under "Job Seekers" for Job Fairs/Iinterview Sessions. One coming up on March 30 is the Branson Job Fair for employers hiring for the 2007 season. Check at the Workamper website for more information and a link to a list of employers who are hiring. Employees can attend shows in Branson for free or reduced prices so if you like country/western music, it could be a season full of fun and music! Jaimie

For information on Jaimie Hall's recently revised book, Support Your RV LIfestyle! An Insider's Guide to Working on the Road, 2nd ed., see RVBookstore.com.

Betty will be "jammin'!"

Betty is a solo woman RVer. Before her husband, Lin, passed away, they volunteered at Patrick Point State Park in California, hosting and updating the park's slide collection. She came back two years later as a solo Workamper, working this time in the visitor center.

In the summers of 2003, 2004 and part of 2005, Betty worked at Bodie State Park in California. She was a Park Aide the first year, then Senior Park Aide. What Betty liked about this job was the variety. She led tours to the stamp mill, gave history talks, worked in the kiosk, patrolled the grounds answering questions, and relieved those in the visitor center/museum. As Senior Park Aide, Betty made up the schedule. Since Bodie had no RV sites, Betty stored her rig nearby and lived in park housing in one of the historic buildings. Betty is a hot spring afficionado and explored many in the area. Photos she took have been published in hot springs books and she has had several of her photos chosen for the annual Bodie calendar, sold in the museum.

Betty has also work two winters at El Dorado Hot Springs in Arizona plus off and off other winters. In addition, she volunteered for two months at Haceta Head Lighthouse in Oregon.

This summer Betty will be "jammin'" at Glacier National Park in Montana. She'll drive one of the Red Buses, giving tours of the park. Drivers are called "Jammers" by the locals, a name which carried over from the days when the buses had standard transmissions and the drivers could be heard "jammin" the gears as they drove up and down the rugged mountainous highway.

Glacier Park, Inc. is the concessionaire here. Betty will report for two weeks of training in mid-June, where she will learn how to drive the buses, get her CDL, and learn about the park so she can narrate the tours. An RV site costs $2.50/day. A meal plan is available: $7.50/day or $2.50/meal with payroll deduction. This job has good potential for tips and the company offers several perks.

Betty will be driving the spectacular "Going-to-the-Sun" Road nearly every day. Last summer we spent a week in the park and took one of the Red Bus tours. All I can say is "What a life!" Jaimie

For information on Jaimie Hall's recently revised book, Support Your RV LIfestyle! An Insider's Guide to Working on the Road, 2nd ed., see RVBookstore.com. You''ll find lots of fun summer jobs in Workamper News.